Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2000/02/19
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Bernard Delgado asked: > Are there ways to care for the leatherette or vulcanite covering on vintage > leicas BEFORE they start to crack & fall off? Back in 1997, Steve McWherter posted a message on CompuServe saying: "My M3 has a bit of the vulcanite missing on the back door. I was at Leica today dropping the camera off for a CLA and thought to ask the service manager about the problem -- She said that a little lemon oil, sparingly applied with a cloth, should keep the vulcanite from drying out." Last time I was in the USA, I bought a bottle of lemon oil (it's a dressing for wood furniture, not an essence of lemon used by aromatherapists!), and have applied that to my cameras about once or twice a year. My M2 had shed a patch of vulcanite in early 1997 (thus my interest in the topic), and I'd successfully glued it back into place. Since that date, I've been using lemon oil and have had no further problems. The advice given to Steve McWherter probably came from Leica USA - Leica UK say they have never heard of this trick. Regards, Doug Richardson